Waterbird Bendable Slider – The Future of Sliders?

Just when you thought the design of the classic camera slider couldn’t be improved, an Austrian startup called Waterbird has developed a “multi slider” that can be changed from a line to a curved slider just by physically bending the device. The Waterbird Bendable Slider works very well in practice, and seems perfect for expanding beyond the types of slider shots we see so often these days.

Image: Waterbird Systems

It’s a product clearly designed with time-lapse effects in mind and it comes with a motor, controller and battery pack for that very purpose. Motion is controlled by a phone or tablet though Bluetooth, and from our up-close view at NAB 2017, we could see that the movement along the length of the slider was smooth and the motion control worked very well.

Once you bend the slider to a specific shape, it’s held in place by locks on each end. Once locked, the multi-slider keeps its shape as the camera travels along the rail and the whole system has enough weight to it that the camera move doesn’t threaten to topple the whole thing over.

Image Credit: Waterbird Systems

The slider will be available in 80cm, 120cm and 150cm lengths. No matter the length you choose, you’ll be able to pick the applicable camera timelapse cable that works for your brand. Your kit will also come with 3 pairs of legs, a soft case and a battery pack.

Technical Highlights:

Configurable in Numerous Shapes

Motion Controlled Speed & Acceleration Ramps

Bluetooth Connectivity (iOS and Android)

Camera Trigger Port For Manual Triggering

Pricing and availability is yet to be determined, but we’ll update this post as soon as we know.

What do you think of the Waterbird Bendable Slider? Would this be useful as part of your motion control kit? Comment below!